Controlled deer hunts begin Oct. 6 in eight Ramsey County parks

Daylong hunts will be conducted at eight park and trail locations on select dates in October and November. Two separate hunts will be held at each location. Each hunt period is three days long, with the second hunt occurring two to three weeks after the first.

Many of the locations are the same as those used in previous years. No hunt will be conducted in Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes Regional Park or Grass Lake Park in 2017.

During the hunts, entire parks or portions of a park may be closed. The Battle Creek off-leash dog areas will be closed during hunts; the Rice Creek North off-leash area is expected to remain open. Efforts will be made to keep most major paved hiking and biking trails open. Signs will be posted at common entry points to parks where hunts are being conducted, and park visitors are requested to stay out of these areas.

Archers for the 2017 hunts have already been selected. Archers interested in participating in future hunts should visit www.mbrb.org.